


Picture Perfect

by SirLadySketch



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Confessions, Datascape, M/M, Re:Collect Zine, Soriku - Freeform, data greetings, dreamscape, in which Roxas helps Riku sort stuff out, may your heart be your guiding key, post kh3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25690987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirLadySketch/pseuds/SirLadySketch
Summary: Sometimes all you need to do is search your heart for answers, and sometimes the answers come from the person who spent time in your best friendʼs heart. The story of how Roxas helped Riku reframe his search for Sora through sarcasm and blackmail.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 74
Collections: Re⊕Collect: A Soriku Fic Collection





	Picture Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the Re:Collect soriku zine! I was so honored to be invited to participate, and it was such an incredible project to be a part of. Shout out to mods GreenEggs101 and Kei for putting this together! <3 <3 <3

Riku hadn’t realized how much he’d grown over the past two years. He’d been busy, of course, and the clothes he’d been given had magically adjusted over time to account for his growth. But standing beside Sora, it became apparent that while Riku had gone through another growth spurt, his best friend had not.

They’d spent a good ten minutes figuring out the picture they wanted, going through poses and figuring out framing and props. In the end, they started with something simple, but even after their careful planning, the first image was a wash. It captured part of Riku’s face while cutting out everything except the top of Sora’s head, and the second was little better—Sora was in the frame, but the picture only managed to capture Riku’s chin. They tried setting up the camera a little further back, but they’d still run into the issue that Sora only came up to Riku’s shoulder.

Riku stood back and looked around, trying to see if there was a better place for Sora to stand, or somewhere he could slouch. He spotted a box and dragged it over, giving Sora a much-needed boost. When they stood side by side, Sora came up to his nose— _much_ easier to work with.

He trotted back over to the camera to reframe the image, checked the lighting, and snapped a shot. It was perfect. He gave Sora a thumbs up.

“Looks great! Let’s try a new pose now.”

They took a dozen photos, setting up a different scene each time by holding battle poses, picking up props, switching positions to play with the lighting. Did the picture look better if the sun was on their faces, or did it look more epic if they were backlit? Sora had made it look so easy, just snapping a photo to share with the group and tagging it with his thoughts and feelings. But it was _hard_ , harder than it looked, and getting it right was important.

“Is this really how keyblade masters pass their time? Taking pretend selfies at three in the morning?”

Riku jumped at the interruption, fingers scrambling over the keys to find the button that would exit the program. Roxas pushed off the doorframe and let out a snort of laughter as he walked over to Riku’s side. He knocked Riku’s hands away, pulling up one of the images Riku had been working on. Riku looked away, embarrassed, as Roxas leaned in to better study the scene.

He’d done his best, although it was difficult to really capture the feeling of a place he’d never been. Sora had described Corona’s flower fields with such vivid detail, making a note of the scents and sounds, that looking at the picture, he could pretend they’d actually gone there, together. Sora was laughing in the picture—Sora was always smiling in his photos—watching their assorted dream eaters frolicking amongst the flowers. He’d placed himself there, too, holding a Meow Wow.

Roxas made a noise and the screen shifted to the next photo—it was snowing in Arendelle and Sora was building a snowman. A click and they were in Twilight Town, sampling some of the bistro dishes. Next, Sora was in his ‘monster’ form, teeth bared and claws out, but the Riku in the picture was laughing at Sora’s attempts to be scary. The Riku in every single one of these photos was laughing, smiling, happy. Why wouldn’t he be happy when he was having a good time with his best friend?

The screen changed as Roxas cycled through the gallery, scene after scene of Sora and Riku off on different adventures. Then Roxas stopped on the one photo that didn’t show their faces. They were home on the Destiny Islands, the sunset painting the sky in shades of pink and purple that were only possible in that tropical paradise. Their backs were to the camera as they stared over the sea at the setting sun, hand in hand.

Roxas sighed.

“I feel like you don’t really need me to tell you how sad this is,” he said at last. “I know everyone has their own coping mechanisms with loss, but have you considered breaking stuff instead? Very cathartic.”

“We were supposed to visit the worlds together,” Riku replied, still staring at that last photo. “After everything. Sora told me about all of the places we were going to explore. He was going to introduce me to his new friends, show me his favorite spots, actually go back and explore the worlds for fun.”

He felt a touch on his shoulder; two light, sympathetic pats before Roxas grabbed another chair and rolled it over. He spun it around so he could lean against the back, arms crossed, clearly settling in for a talk. Riku looked at the computer again, mouth tight.

“You still can do that, when you find him,” Roxas said, voice light. “We’ve made good headway so far with the datascape stuff, even if you are using it in new and inventive ways.”

Riku knew that Roxas meant it as a joke, but he could feel his throat closing around his reply, and the image of Sora blurring as he stared harder at the screen.

“Will I?” Riku stared at the ground. “It’s been so long.”

“C’mon Riku, giving up already? I thought you were stronger than that.”

The comment hit like a physical blow, startling a laugh out of him. He turned to look at Roxas again, wiping at his eyes. He chuckled, although it tasted bitter in the back of his throat. “I guess I deserve that,” he said.

“I guess you do,” Roxas agreed, kicking his legs in the air. “Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

“I’m sorry,” Riku said.

“I get it,” Roxas said, waving the apology aside. “I’d have done the same thing for my friends. And Sora knew that, too. It’s why I can forgive you for doing what you had to—it was for Sora. Meeting him, taking shelter in his heart, I understood. I can forgive you for wanting him back.”

Roxas reached over and turned off the screen, and the room fell into darkness, the only light a soft glow from Merlin’s old cookstove at the far end of the wall. “What I can’t forgive is you sitting at the computer making pretend memories and feeling sorry for yourself. Sora wouldn’t want that for you.”

“I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do,” Riku admitted.

He clasped his hands between his knees, the afterimage of their handhold burned into his memory. It was all he could do to keep himself from turning the computer back on and diving back into those memories, searching for something he’d overlooked a thousand times before. There had to be some path he hadn’t followed, something he’d missed— this couldn’t be the end, not after everything they’d gone through. But what else remained?

“You could always sleep on it,” Roxas suggested. “Didn’t Fairy Godmother say your dreams were the key?”

“I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but sleeping, nothing but dreaming, _nothing works_ ,” Riku gritted out. “I’ve been scanning the data files during the day and there’s nothing there. I go to sleep and all I capture are snatches of memories, feelings, _dreams_. There’s nothing I can work with, nothing to go on.”

It was probably just as well that the room was dark because Riku knew that Roxas was giving him a dirty look, even if he couldn’t see it. He could just make out Roxas’ silhouette though, which meant he could see the hand going up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Clearly Roxas had been spending too much time with Leon.

“Look, if there was something I could do—that any of us could do—we would. Sora broke his links to us in order to save us, that was his sacrifice to protect us all. But you—your bond with him is so strong that even through all of that, his heart is still bound to yours. I don’t quite understand it, but your dream eater bond seems to be the key.” Roxas paused. Then, almost as an afterthought, laughed under his breath. “Don’t you see? That’s why it has to be you.”

When Riku still didn’t reply, Roxas sighed yet again.

“I feel like all I’m doing is repeating stuff that’s already been said, but I guess sometimes it helps to hear it again from someone else, so here goes: follow your heart, and you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“...That’s so vague...” Riku muttered, knowing that Roxas was trying his hardest, knowing that what he was saying was true, but what did that give him to work with? What hadn’t he tried, what angle had he not examined? What was it that he kept missing? He had the nagging suspicion that Roxas was trying to tell him something, but being unusually dodgy about it.

“Shut up, I’m trying to be supportive,” Roxas snapped, then sucked in a breath and softened his voice before he continued. “What I’m trying to say is that the strength of your bond goes two ways—the love you feel for Sora, that keeps you connected to him? His connection to _you_ is just as strong.”

“I don’t love—” Roxas interrupted him with a rude noise and kicked his chair. Riku let him have that; no point in denying it. In the stillness of a sleeping Radiant Garden, there was no place for secrets between the only two waking souls. What was it about the dark that made it easier to admit things? And if he was going to be completely honest about it, it was an open secret anyway. The only person who hadn’t seemed to notice was Sora himself.

 _Sora._ Roxas knew about Sora, because Roxas had been close to his heart. Riku squinted through the shadows again, trying to make out any hint of expression, but his night vision wasn’t _that_ good, despite his years traveling in the Darkness.

“Next time I hit your knee,” Roxas threatened, then gave another long-suffering sigh. “Do you honestly think you’re the only one who’s struggled with your feelings? That no one else has ever felt unsure about what their heart is telling them? Other people have doubts too, Riku.”

“So you’re saying that...” He trailed off, thinking it through.

They’d always been close. Growing up, they’d been inseparable. Seeing Sora each day was inevitable, like the sunrise. And Sora had always been the brightest, best part of his life, shining like a morning star in all those halcyon memories of childhood.

Then somewhere along the way, something had changed—for Riku, at least. There’d been some cloud that cast shadows over their friendship, introducing a darkness between them. He’d pushed Sora, thinking it to be some feat won through brute strength. If he just _pushed_ hard enough, reached far enough, proved his worth, then he’d finally be able to break through, to understand what had changed. And then he’d fallen into true Darkness, and he realized that the only thing clouding over his bond to Sora had been _him_.

But that Darkness had brought him further clarity. Hands pressed against the cool glass of the sleeping pod, Riku spent a year watching over Sora, keeping him in his thoughts as his guiding star. Towards _what_ , he hadn’t been sure, but in those endless vigils in the long nights, in his conversations with Naminé and the King, in his hunt for Xion and Roxas, in his work with Diz... In those moments, working for Sora, _towards_ Sora, those undefined feelings began to take shape. And then Roxas had forced his hand in their battle, forcing him to embrace the Darkness. Realization dawned and he’d finally seen the light as the shadows overcame him.

He loved Sora. He’d take on Darkness itself to keep Sora safe, and Sora would shine all the brighter for it. He loved Sora, would give up everything he had— _had_ given up everything he was—knowing that Sora, at least, would make it through the cloudy future to see another dawn. There was some peace in that, the knowing, the defining, even if the feeling itself was, at times, overwhelming.

Love. Roxas had said _love_ , had mentioned uncertainty and confusion.

He’d implied—if he was to be believed—that Sora loved him, too.

Roxas had been in Sora’s heart, had felt what Sora had felt. And despite their difficult past, Roxas had no reason to lie to him. He was under no obligation to talk to Riku, to tell him anything. And truthfully, it might be considered a breach of trust, Roxas admitting Sora’s feelings for him. But Sora was the most forgiving person he knew, and if Roxas’ confession helped bring him back, they could apologize for this small infraction on his privacy when he was home.

Of course, he knew that Sora loved him, Sora loved _everyone_ , unafraid to show affection through touch or little gestures of kindness. But Roxas had implied that what Sora felt for him was more than their familiar familial love. That Sora was _in love_ with Riku.

Roxas had said doubt—had Sora struggled with what he felt for Riku? Had there been a moment where Sora had realized his thoughts lingered on their conversations long after they’d said goodnight? Had he caught himself watching his best friend long after he’d turned away, noticing every little detail about him? Had he gone to bed with him on his mind, only to awake with his name on his lips?

Roxas might know, of course, but Riku highly doubted that he’d tell him. Besides, some things were too intimate to be told secondhand, and he didn’t really want Roxas adding flavorful commentary about how he thought they were both oblivious idiots. He wanted _Sora_.

Which brought them back to the issue at hand; whether Sora loved him, or whether he was _in love_ with Riku, he was still missing, and Riku had no clue how to find him. How could his heart be his guiding key when it was his heart that was missing?

“He loves me,” Riku breathed aloud, testing them in the silence. It felt right, but then, he already knew that Sora loved him. He tried again, wetting his dry lips, but his voice came out tentative. “He’s in love with me?”

“And people say Sora is stupid.” Riku heard the scrape of Roxas’ chair as he stood, saw the shadowy figure stand. “You should get some rest, sleep on it, and maybe instead of thinking about what _you_ would do to save him, consider what Sora would do to find you?”

Riku stood as well, although his head was a muddle of emotions. He considered the question, trying to frame their current situation like one of Sora’s long and enthusiastic texts. How would Sora go about finding a lost friend, someone who’d gone missing without a trace?

“Sora would act first, think later,” Riku said, and they shared a quiet laugh at Sora’s expense. But he bowed his head to consider it further, staring into the burning embers of Merlin’s fire.

“Sora would send a signal, some sort of message to let that person know that he was coming to help them,” he said at last, thinking it through. “And he’d find a way to leave a trail, something big and bold and easy to see. Something clear and easy to follow back to him.”

“There you go, then,” Roxas said, nudging him towards the door. “Go sleep on what your signal could be.”

 _Sora loves me. Sora’s_ in love _with me._

The idea of that, in and of itself, might keep him awake for the rest of the night. But even so, it made complete sense, it felt right. In his dreams, when he followed his connection to Sora, felt the burning intensity of it, the response had always been strong, if disorganized. It was less of a concentrated thing, more of an overwhelming sense of intense emotion.

He frowned.

“Does Sora know?” he asked. “That he loves... that he’s _in love_ with me?”

Roxas laughed, sliding into the seat Riku had just vacated and turning the computer back on. Riku winced at the sudden light, but Roxas remained unfazed. He spun in the chair to face Riku and shrugged, a small smile on his face.

“He’ll get there eventually,” he said. “Just because he’s smarter than people think doesn’t mean he’s quick to figure things out. The feelings he has, they’re intense—he never does anything in halves. But when he figures it out—and he will—you’ll never have to take another sad sappy selfie again.”

“I have to show him the way,” Riku realized, heart skipping a beat as it clicked. “I have to tell him how I feel, define those emotions, show him that what we feel for each other is the same. I have to be the first to lay the path so he can follow that bond back to me.” Riku fell back into Roxas’ vacated chair, dizzy at the thought of it.

Confess? He’d grown used to his easy secrets in the dark, hiding away his own hopes and fears. He’d been afraid that the truth would widen the gap between them, afraid that Sora would laugh it off as a joke, or worse, look at him with pity, unable to reciprocate. That look would break him, he knew.

Those mixed emotions he sensed through their bond-- even if Roxas was to be believed, even if it was the same as what he felt, Sora might not accept them for _love_. He might deny it, try to fight it. Hadn’t Riku himself tried to run away, rather than face the facts? He couldn’t risk losing Sora, Sora was his guiding star.

But if he was going to find him, to bring him home, he had to be honest. Honest with himself, honest with Sora. Trust Sora to believe him, to acknowledge Riku’s feelings, even if he couldn’t reciprocate them. Riku wouldn’t push, wouldn’t ask for anything—he just wanted Sora _home_. And all he had to do was tell him everything.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” he admitted at last, and he barely managed to block the swift kick aimed at his knee. “I don’t know how to condense everything I feel for him into something simple,” he clarified, glaring at Roxas. “There are so many things I want to say, want to explain. How do I encompass everything that is _Sora_ to me in a single message?”

“Try saying ‘I love you,’” Roxas suggested, then shrugged at Riku’s flat expression. “It works in all the fairytales. And when in doubt, actions speak louder than words. If you don’t know what to say, there’s always True Love’s Kiss.” He winked at this last part, and Riku laughed, despite himself.

“I have to find him and we have to talk things out long before there’s any kissing,” he said, and wobbled up to his feet again, still overwhelmed at the scope of the task before him. He turned to leave. “Thanks. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“Yep.” Roxas was already focusing back on the computer, closing out of Riku’s photo album. Riku paused, another thought that had been bothering him finally forming into words. He looked over his shoulder.

“Hey Roxas, why did you come here? Tonight, I mean? I doubt you came to give me a pep talk.”

“You think you’re the only one who plays with this thing?” Roxas laughed as he loaded up the battle simulations. “Get to bed, or I’ll delete your save files.”

Riku startled back, surprised. “Wait, I thought Cid said no one but me could touch his computer?”

“That rule was enacted _after_ Demyx managed to perma-erase multiple assets, including his own avatar. Hmph, now _there’s_ a moron.” Roxas waved him away, guiding the digital Sora towards one of the battlegates. “I won’t tell anyone about your sad selfies if you never saw me in here.” He guided digital Sora towards one of the battle gates, and shooed Riku out without looking back. “Sweet dreams, Riku.”

Riku barely took in his surroundings as he made his way back to his room. Went through the motions of changing into his nightclothes, tucking himself into the cold bed. Thoughts of what he could do, what he could say, doubts of whether or not it would work. It couldn’t be that simple, could it?

Somehow, against all odds, sleep took him quickly and he found himself walking the now-familiar grey haze of his dreams. This wasn’t so much a sleeping world as it was a space between, reminding him of the paths of Darkness. His steps were muted, dampened thuds; the air was cold and humid all at once, as though he was wandering through a fog. This was an unforgiving place, as though designed to sap your spirit with every breath you took.

Out of the corner of his eye he could make out the dim forms of the dream eaters he shared with Sora, but their colors were muted and dull. They missed Sora just as much as he did, and his heart ached for their diminished state. He wished there was something he could do for them, but he knew they would only get better once he’d found Sora and made that connection to bring him home.

_I love you._

The thought came unbidden to his mind, but he could feel the warmth of it in his heart. The mist around him cleared a little, and his feet felt a little lighter. Even the thought of Sora made this place a little more bearable. How could he feel sad when he was doing this for love?

“I love you,” he said, thinking of summer days in the Destiny Islands, and texted conversations that kept them up well into the night. The sound of his voice was muffled in this drab and unchanging landscape, but there was a brief brush of warmth against his leg, a quiet stirring of wind in his hair, and he knew the dream eaters felt the shift in the air, too. He cleared his throat and drew in a deep breath, holding an image of Sora clear in his thoughts.

“I love you!” he said into the shadows, letting his feelings add power to his voice. He caught a burst of light in the distance, a flash of color as the Komory Bat flitted towards that tiny dot on the horizon. Riku began to chase after it at a run, his heart pounding in his throat as a path began to form in front of him.

“I love you!” he called as the goat and horse and other long-legged dream eaters easily outpaced him, galloping headfirst towards the pinpoint of light.

“I love you!” he cried as the cats and lizards and frogs scuttled past him, their footprints leaving bright patterns of light on the path as they charged ahead.

“I love you!” he laughed through tears as even the giant, sleepy panda lumbered past, its incredible bulk unable to block the ever-brightening star in the distance.

 _Sora._ Riku knew it in his heart, felt it in his bones, and every step felt lighter, brighter, as he raced towards the guiding star. _Sora!_

And then he stumbled, his hands hitting hard cement, still wet with the lingering fog. He gasped in more breath as he pushed himself up, taking in his strange surroundings.

He was in a city. Not San Fransokyo, at least, not in any part that he’d explored with Hiro when searching for clues. This world felt different, colder, somehow. It smelled of Darkness, but he’d followed the path to Sora here, so it had to be important. He felt like he’d caught pieces of it before, half-remembered glimpses sent through Sora’s bond. There was still that uneasy feeling of being watched, but it didn’t feel like Sora.

He spun in a slow circle, trying to figure out which way to go. The world felt vast and empty, despite the crush of buildings around him, but Sora was _here,_ he had to be. He just had to hope that he could find him before he woke up.

Riku brushed off his clothes and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

“I love you,” he repeated, knowing he would say it a thousand times until he found Sora, and then a thousand more when they were home. “I love you.”

He drew himself up and began to walk. The door had been opened, a new pathway forged. He would find Sora, and they would return home. And then they would go on new adventures to make new memories, just the two of them.

“I love you.”

He could picture it clearly.


End file.
